According to a study released in November 2024 by Self Financial, A Life of Tax, New Jersey residents will pay more in taxes over their lifetimes than those in any other state. The average American pays $524,625 in federal and state taxes combined, while New Jerseyans pay an average of $987,117 throughout their lives, the highest in the nation.

New Jersey didn’t have a state income tax until 1976 and it was implemented to help fund schools in impoverished areas. Nearly 50 years later and cities like Newark and Trenton still have abysmal reading levels. Taxing the public more very rarely solves societal or systemic issues. Nine states do not have an income tax generating revenue for state services through user fees, tourism, and limiting their state budget (which they should be doing anyway). 

There is no reason New Jersey needs to have the highest property tax in the country, one of the highest income taxes in the country, a gas tax, a water tax, inheritance tax, cigarette tax, gabling tax - the list goes on. How much more of our money do they need?